Pierce: Tiki won’t add any leadership to next team

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on March 8, 2011, 8:23 PM EST

Antonio Pierce says teams looking at Tiki Barber shouldn’t expect his former teammate to be a leader.

“Tiki Barber, the football player, great player, will be very productive probably in certain situations,” Pierce said on NFL Live Tuesday via ESPNNewYork.com. “Tiki Barber, the leader, the person in that locker room? He is not going to do anything for your team. Now if that is the guy you think you are bringing in, you might want to look in another direction.”

Pierce was hardly the only Giants teammate of Barber — especially on the defensive side — to have a problem with the running back. He raises a fair point.

At his age, Barber would be a role player. Backup running backs that don’t play special teams need to offer some extra value — like leadership. Pierce doesn’t think that will happen.

“From personal experience, he didn’t do anything to help the Giants [in] 2006 when he decided to retire in the middle of the season and then months later question our quarterback and our head coach,” Pierce said. “That is my problem with Tiki Barber … the guy can play. Can he do it four years later? I don’t think he can.”

And Pierce further proves that he is the man, not only on the field, but also off of the field cause he does not care what comes out of his mouth. Props to a true New York Giant.

duanethomas says:Mar 8, 2011 8:49 PM

Barber’s personal and professional life have been in shambles recently. In April 2010, Barber reportedly left his wife of 11 years, Ginny, for 23-year-old Traci Johnson, a former NBC intern. Ginny was eight months pregnant at the time. Soon after, NBC cited its morals clause and terminated Barber’s contract, which reportedly paid him more than $300,000 per year.

In June 2010, the New York Post reported Barber was broke and couldn’t pay his divorce settlement with his ex-wife.

LOL!!! We all now why he is looking foward to playing again. Monday’s when the pay checks are handed out.

Thankfully, Antonio said what every giant fan wanted to say…Tiki is a scumbag,he turned his back on his team and then ate a large helping of humble pie when Eli lead the GMEN to the superbowl while he was on tv being a dbag. hopefully he gets signed by the redskins so the giants can get after him next year—- eat poop tiki

Davo says:Mar 8, 2011 9:27 PM

Case of the chickens coming home to roost I think.

I’m not a Giants fan, but I really thought what Tiki did in that first year post football, throwing his team mates under the bus, was WAY out of line.

11inthebox says:Mar 8, 2011 9:32 PM

Ah, yes. This is the thing every sports outlet is after. Lets get two guys who played on the same team and get them to ‘dish’ about one another. Sure, a lot of guys make fun of chick shows like “the View.”

But the weird thing is that the most popular freakin’ thing for men in sports is to actually ‘gossip’ about one another. Oh wait, its only ‘gossip’ when women do it. When men do it its…

..its still gossip. Don’t kid yourselves.

ttommytom says:Mar 8, 2011 9:33 PM

Tiki burned some bridges leaving NY. Bridges he didn’t even need to cross let alone burn. It’s all about him.

He could have had a HOF career. Instead he is a lousy husband, lousy commentator and a lousy teammate and friend. Now he gets to be washed up to boot. Way to mess it all up.

When is the last time there was a 36 year old running back in the NFL…especially one who has been out of football for 4 years? I highly doubt that Tiki can be effective anymore.

techstar25 says:Mar 8, 2011 9:59 PM

This is starting to look like one of those stories that the media trumps up just because it’s running out of “real” stories. Let’s be honest here. Tiki will not be playing in the NFL next year. He should have been smart enough to realize that Ronde plays a position where film study, 15 years of experience, and God-given intuition can be used to compensate for a slower step or two. Tiki plays a position where you can be as dumb as a rock as long as you can run downhill like one. Guys like that are a dime-a-dozen.

Pierce ran smack (after trying to back Burress up by providing a place for Burress to go and call his attorney) so he’s not one to talk about leadership at all.

That being said, yeah, Tiki is a douche. I remember him on Fox and Friends. Pretty much known throughout the league, now.

norcaleagles says:Mar 9, 2011 1:18 AM

Im not defending Tiki, but first Pierce said that Tiki will be “very productive probably in certain areas” and then goes on to say that he doesnt think think the guy will be able to play 4 years later. So which is it??

norcaleagles says:Mar 9, 2011 1:24 AM

GCSUK, No us Philly fans are good with what we have now. Lesean McCoy is better than any back that is sitting on your squad. Maybe you guys should re-sign him so he can teach Bradshaw that little trick he learned about holding on to the ball.

Now that was nice norcaleagles, but truly there is no spot for him in Philly. If we were going to pick up an old almost washed out RB it would be Bryan Westbrook. At least he would help bring some integrity to the locker room. Barber’s a joke, and so are the f’ing Vagiants and their rat faced coach.